Skanda Purana — Avanti Khanda, Shloka 21

Devanagari script

अग्निकार्यप्रवृत्तानां सर्वेषां विधिवन्नृप । केनापि हेतुना वह्निर्दृश्यते न ज्वलत्युत

Transliteration

agnikāryapravṛttānāṃ sarveṣāṃ vidhivannṛpa | kenāpi hetunā vahnirdṛśyate na jvalatyuta

Translation

O König, obgleich alle das Feuerritual vorschriftsgemäß begonnen haben, wird Agni aus irgendeinem Grund gesehen, doch er lodert nicht auf.

Word by Word

• अग्निकार्यप्रवृत्तानाम्: of those engaged in the fire-ritual duties
• अग्निकार्यप्रवृत्तानाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: अग्नि (प्रातिपदिक) + कार्य (प्रातिपदिक) + प्रवृत्त (कृदन्त; √वृत्/वृत्त्)
• Form: विशेषण-प्रयोगः; पुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी (6th/षष्ठी), बहुवचनम्; समासः: अग्निकार्ये प्रवृत्ताः (सप्तमी-तत्पुरुष)

• सर्वेषाम्: of all
• सर्वेषाम्: Sambandha (Genitive relation/सम्बन्ध)
• Type: Adjective
• Root: सर्व (सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: विशेषण-प्रयोगः; पुंलिङ्गे षष्ठी (6th), बहुवचनम्

• विधिवत्: according to the prescribed rite
• विधिवत्: Kriya-visheshana (Adverbial modifier/क्रियाविशेषण)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: विधि (प्रातिपदिक) + वत् (तद्धित/अव्यय-प्रत्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; क्रियाविशेषणम् (adverb) = ‘according to rule’

• नृप: O king
• नृप: Sambodhana (Address/सम्बोधन)
• Type: Noun
• Root: नृप (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; सम्बोधन (8th/सम्बोधन), एकवचनम्

• केन: by what / by whom
• केन: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: क (प्रश्नवाचक-सर्वनाम/प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग/नपुंसकलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd/तृतीया), एकवचनम्

• अपि: even / somehow
• अपि: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: अपि (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; निपातः (particle) = ‘even/also/somehow’

• हेतुना: by a cause/reason
• हेतुना: Karana (Instrument/करण)
• Type: Noun
• Root: हेतु (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; तृतीया (3rd), एकवचनम्

• वह्निः: fire
• वह्निः: Karta (Subject/कर्ता)
• Type: Noun
• Root: वह्नि (प्रातिपदिक)
• Form: पुंलिङ्ग; प्रथमा (1st/प्रथमा), एकवचनम्

• दृश्यते: is seen/appears
• दृश्यते: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √दृश् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुषः (3rd person), एकवचनम्; आत्मनेपदम्; कर्मणि-प्रयोगः (passive)

• न: not
• न: Negation (निषेध)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: न (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; निषेध-निपातः (negation particle)

• ज्वलति: burns
• ज्वलति: Kriya (Predicate/क्रिया)
• Type: Verb
• Root: √ज्वल् (धातु)
• Form: लट् (Present), प्रथमपुरुषः, एकवचनम्; परस्मैपदम्

• उत: indeed / and
• उत: Discourse particle (निपात)
• Type: Indeclinable
• Root: उत (अव्यय)
• Form: अव्ययम्; निपातः (emphatic/connecting particle)

Speaker

Brāhmaṇas (continuing from previous verse)

Tirtha Mahatmya

Tirtha: Revā-kṣetra (Narmadā tīrthas)

Type: kshetra

Skanda Dialogue

Listener: nṛpa (king)

Visual Art Cues

Scene: A royal fire-hall: altar laid, priests poised, offerings ready; Agni is visible as a dim presence yet refuses to flare—smoke thin, embers dull—creating a tense stillness among priests and attendants.

Characters & Entities

• Vahni (Agni)
• Rājā

FAQs

What is the primary spiritual lesson of this shloka?

Formal correctness (vidhi) is not sufficient when the underlying moral-spiritual alignment is broken; the divine principle may withhold efficacy.

Which specific holy site (Tirtha) is glorified here?

No tirtha is named; the emphasis is on ritual causality within the Revā-khaṇḍa narrative.

What ritualistic prescription is mentioned?

Reference to agni-kārya performed vidhivat (according to rule), but without detailing the procedure.